Biden enters fundraising frenzy with celebrities amid Trump's surge in the polls

President Joe Biden is ratcheting up his campaign fundraising to close the year, an unspoken sign the president is seeking to ease concerns among Democratic donors about former President Donald Trump's recent surge in the polls.

Biden attended three high-profile fundraisers in Boston, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, and he is slated to travel out West on Friday for two more fundraisers in Los Angeles, California, over the weekend. He is also expected to attend a fundraiser in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday.

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Three Democratic operatives, all familiar with Biden's campaign strategy, discounted the idea that Biden's fundraising this week is a direct response to recent polls showing Trump taking the lead nationally and in battleground states over Biden.

In recent weeks, Trump has overtaken Biden in most polls, including offerings from the New York Times, CNN, and NPR. As of Wednesday, Trump leads Biden by 2 points in the RealClearPolitics polling aggregate and holds leads over Biden in five of six swing states that were critical to determining the outcome of the 2020 general election.

Those people said it's typical for incumbent presidents to increase their campaigning ahead of the actual election year and pointed to the president's stellar third-quarter numbers as evidence of his team's fundraising efforts. In the third quarter, Biden, the Democratic National Committee, and their associated committees brought in more than $71 million in donations, more than then-President Barack Obama raised heading into the third quarter of 2011, and had $91 million on hand.

Biden's five fundraisers this week could bring in an additional $15 million, according to NBC News.

However, two other Democratic operatives conceded that Biden's fundraising frenzy marks a slight shift in strategy, aimed at getting the president more face time with other high-profile Democrats and undercutting the "basement Biden" criticisms raised by Republicans during the 2020 cycle and throughout his first term in office.

"President Biden is at his best in these informal settings, not onstage selling his legislative agenda. Let Joe be Joe, and everything else will follow," one operative told the Washington Examiner, suggesting that Democrats must be reminded of "the type of man" the president is, "especially when compared to the alternative."

Biden's campaign fundraisers receive "pen and pad" coverage, meaning reporters are allowed in the room for a portion of the event, but cameras and recording devices are not permitted.

This leads to Biden operating in a less buttoned-up fashion, or "telling it like it is" in the words of one Democratic operative, and frequently making news, unlike in his White House remarks.

That occurred again Tuesday in Boston, where at one fundraiser, the president suggested he wouldn't be seeking reelection if Trump weren't in the race.

"We've got to get it done, not because of me," Biden told attendees at his second fundraiser of the day. "If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running. We cannot let him win."

The president referred to Trump as the "only losing candidate" in American history who attempted to overturn the results of an election and propped up Republican critics of the former president, such as former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.

"American democracy, I give you my word as a Biden, is at stake," Biden stated at his first fundraiser on Tuesday. "He didn't even show up at my inauguration. I can't say I was disappointed, but he didn't even show up."

Pressed on his comments upon his return to the White House Tuesday evening, under the watchful eye of television cameras, the president gave a noticeably different response.

"I expect so," Biden responded when asked by reporters if he would be running if Trump wasn't. "But look, he is running, and I have to run."

"No, not now," he added when pressed on dropping out if Trump were to do the same.

The president's donor push comes as the White House and his reelection campaign have appeared to amend their core messaging strategy, shifting focus away from "Bidenomics" and back toward ways that "MAGAnomics" will raise costs on households.

Biden's fundraisers also allow him to revisit a favored strategy of past Democratic campaigns, pitching directly to America's celebrities who will, in turn, make the case for his reelection directly to their fans.

The president's third fundraiser on Tuesday featured a concert from famed singer James Taylor, who performed at a White House legislative celebration in 2022. During his remarks, Biden joked that he would be quick because he knew he was "the only thing standing" between attendees and Taylor's performance.

Biden's fundraisers in California will feature a performance from rock star Lenny Kravitz, with legendary director Steven Spielberg, recording industry giant David Geffen, Shonda Rhimes, and Rob Reiner all in attendance, according to the Associated Press. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is listed as a co-host of the event.

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Biden's trip out West will include a White House speech delivered in Las Vegas, Nevada, yet his Tuesday jaunt to Massachusetts was purely for campaign reasons, and the White House confirmed his reelection push would foot the bill.

"Anytime there's political travel, there are a set of federal regulations that govern the cost-sharing, and so today's travel is certainly being paid for in full compliance with federal regulations," White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters flying with Biden on Air Force One to Boston on Tuesday. "You can expect to see there are going to be some days where the president has all official travel. There'll be some days it's all political travel. There'll be some days where it's a mix of both things."